When art and charity meet, it’s the best kind of two worlds colliding. We recently had the pleasure of speaking with some of Vancouver’s most exciting contemporary artists, who are set to showcase their work at the upcoming Splash 2024 Art Auction in support of Arts Umbrella. As Canada’s largest art auction, Splash plays a crucial role in funding youth arts education, helping to shape the next generation of creative minds. In the interviews below, these talented artists share insights into their artistic journey, their participation in this year’s event, and the impact of programs like Arts Umbrella on the local arts community. The auction will take place on October 5 at the Fairmont Hotel Vancouver. —Noa Nichol
Maru Aponte
Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your artistic journey? What led you to where you are today?
Hi I am Maru Aponte, I am an artist from Puerto Rico based in Canada. Art has allowed me to explore diverse cultures and different countries. Each place I have lived has allowed me to expand in my artistic practice and grow as a person. When I did my undergraduate in Belgium, I was introduced to Plein air painting which is very present in my current art practice. Art education brought me to do my master’s in fine arts in Vancouver, Canada where I had the opportunity to be influenced and work directly with mentors such as Elizabeth McIntosh and Landon Mackenzie. Their mentorship has made me more passionate about teaching and sharing my knowledge with others via art education.
Your work often delves into deeply personal and cultural themes. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the pieces you’ll be showcasing at Splash 2024?
Yes, my work reflects my personal experience and observations of contemporary cross cultures in the Caribbean and how my experience living in Vancouver has impacted my art practice. It is also about colour and saturation within the culture of Puerto Rico. I am interested in the material experience of the outside and the saturation in nature. With Palm readings painting, I was thinking of a different type of palm readings. Back in the Caribbean, I was always reading palm trees, their shape, their silhouette, lines, colours, movement and actions. In Canada I am also reading palms here, the palms of my hand in action. I am reading the traces, actions, lines, marks, and decisions my hands have already made to tell the fortune of a painting that does not yet exist. Each brushstroke, each gesture is recorded, and it gives certain information, leaving one thinking about the future of painting. In this way, being a “palm reader” is how I make observations, and even predictions.
Art has the power to provoke thought, inspire change, and foster dialogue. What messages or emotions do you hope viewers take away from your work?
I enjoy making art as much as I enjoy viewing art. Both experiences provoke in me different opportunities to have immense curiosity and excitement. In my practice I enjoy not knowing the results of what I am making but allowing myself to play with materials, with colour combinations and images and to look for different possibilities of existence. When I view art, I am moved by work that ignites my curiosity. There are artworks that I think about because I might not understand the feeling that they provoke within me. This could be days, months, and years of processing what I saw, how it was made and why did it move me. There are art works that just make you want to run to the studio and create. If I can share that feeling with people, then I am happy with what the work does.
Arts Umbrella supports youth arts education and nurtures creativity from a young age. How has arts education impacted your own path, and why do you believe it’s important for young people?
Art education has made me passionate about learning and sharing knowledge. It is a tool that has impacted my daily life. As a young kid art education was a space where I could think differently and be different. I believe that space should continue growing for different communities to have these tools art provides from an early age.
Looking ahead, what future projects or directions are you most excited to explore in your art practice?
I am excited to continue sharing my work with different audiences. I just had the opportunity of being a resident at Skowhegan school of Painting and Sculpture. During my time at the art residency, I played with diverse ways the paintings can exist on paper and canvas. I want to continue exploring world buildings within my practice and expand different formats the paintings could exist and interact with each other.
Portrait by Tyler Matthew Oyer
Marie Khouri
Can you introduce yourself and share a bit about your artistic journey? What led you to where you are today?
My name is Marie Khouri, and I’m a sculptor. I feel like I’ve lived two completely different lives. Before art, I worked as an interpreter, having studied linguistics and worked in embassies and courthouses. It feels like a different world compared to where I am now. Art came into my life almost by accident. My husband and I had a software company that developed products for the European and North American markets. When we sold it, I wanted to take up drawing as a hobby, but I quickly realized I couldn’t draw for the life of me. My teacher literally took me by the hand and introduced me to a clay studio next to our classroom at Les Ateliers du Louvre, and that’s where it all began. The journey has been impossible to describe in one answer—too many rejections and hardships along the way. But that atelier is where my path as an artist started, and somehow, it’s led me to where I am today.
Your work often delves into deeply personal and cultural themes. Can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the pieces you’ll be showcasing at Splash 2024?
For this year’s piece, ‘La Lumière’, I took a different direction. I love working with natural elements, and I often do private installations involving water and fire. This time, I wanted to create a subtle flame—something with the warmth of candlelight. Fire was the inspiration, and the piece has a glass globe that sits inside it, flickering like a soft flame.
Art has the power to provoke thought, inspire change, and foster dialogue. What messages or emotions do you hope viewers take away from your work?
I hope my work speaks to people. I want to inspire others to realize that it doesn’t matter where you come from, who you are, or what path you’ve been on, passion and dedication can carry you through. But more than that, you need to be willing to dig deep—to face your scars, your wounds, and your challenges. From the darkest places, the most beautiful things can emerge. My own hardships have shaped me as an artist; without them, I wouldn’t have been able to create the work I have today.
Arts Umbrella supports youth arts education and nurtures creativity from a young age. How has arts education impacted your own path, and why do you believe it’s important for young people?
Art came to me much later in life, and part of that is because I had grown up in a country where we didn’t have access to facilities that encouraged creativity in children. When children are given the chance to express themselves through art, it opens gateways of dialogue and allows them to explore emotions in a healthy, and enjoyable way. It’s like learning another language—it’s an added value that helps them communicate and express themselves in ways words cannot.
Looking ahead, what future projects or directions are you most excited to explore in your art practice?
Public art has had a huge influence on my private practice. For each project, I’ve had to think outside the box, consider new environments, and work within a budget. This has really enriched my practice—pushing me to experiment with new materials and become comfortable working on different scales. I’m especially excited to be exhibiting in Cairo next month, at the foot of the Giza pyramids. God knows where my next body of work will take me but I hope to continue the same growth that has defined my last decade, expanding internationally while remaining true to the creative journey that has guided me this far.
Photography by Luis Valdizon
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